Obsession
by macdaddy
Summary: Beware who lurks from the shadows


**WEDNESDAY - 8:33pm**

He watched her from afar, the way she moved, the expressions on her face as she spoke to people, the way her eyes squinted when she smiled. A part of him wanted to get closer to her, but the rational side of him kept him at a distance.

Finishing up his cigarette, he tossed it to the floor and stamped it out with a few turns of his thick and heavy boot.

Blowing out the remaining smoke in his lungs, he pulled the black hood of his jacket down closer to his face before disappearing into the night.

**THURSDAY - 10:45pm**

He applied another piece of tape to the corner of the photo to hold it in place on the wall. Satisfied that it was secure, he stepped back to admire it. 

"You're more beautiful in person. Pictures just don't do your beauty justice," he said as he looked at the newest photo in his collage.

Putting a finger over his lips, he moved it up and down as he tried to decide which photo he loved best. He scanned them all over and then smiled as his eyes locked on his favorite. 

Leaning forward, he moved towards the photo and kissed it, pretending it was her cheek in which is lips hand landed.

He leaned back, licking his lips, as if tasting her, and nodded. "Tonight's the night, my dear," he said as he lit a small red candle that sat just below the photo. After the wick was lit, his eyes returned to the photo for only a few moments before he turned and walked out of the dimly-lit room.

**FRIDAY - 12:24am**

Looking up towards the night sky, he could see her passing overhead, moving swiftly between the rooftops. Smiling, he closed his eyes and blended in with the darkness of the night.

With an echoing thud, Helena landed on the pavement in a crouch as she scanned the area. Sensing someone near, she stayed still as her eyes began to radiate with her meta powers.

Hearing and seeing nothing, her eyes returned to their blue color as she stood up straight. Shrugging, she continued with her sweeps.

_"She felt me_," he thought to himself as he watched from the shadows of the night. "What a beautiful thing," he said under his breath as he began heading in another direction.

When he got a few blocks in front of her, he went into an alley. Rummaging through a dumpster, he found a beer bottle. Holding onto the neck, he smashed the bottom against the side of the brick building, smashing it in half and creating a sharp, jagged edge. Taking a deep breath, he slashed his thigh and tossed the broken bottle back into the dumpster.

Hobbling out of the alley clutching his leg, he let out exaggerated gasps of pain.

Helena could see the man stumbling out into the street from where she was. "Oracle, keep the line open. I've got a guy up ahead who looks like he's in trouble."

"Copy that," Barbara responded.

Helena cautiously walked towards the man who had now collapsed onto the ground. She looked all around the area as she walked closer towards him.

"Uh! My leg!" the man yelped.

"Who did this to you?" Helena asked as she knelt beside him, looking at the wound.

"I don't know. He jumped me, told me he wanted all my money, and when I told him I didn't have any he knifed me." The man grimaced in pain in hopes of gaining Helena's sympathy.

"Let's get you to the hospital. I..."

"No. No hospital," he insisted.

"Are you nuts? You need to have a doctor look at you."

"I don't have any money to pay for it. They ask too many questions. It's fine, really. My apartment is only up the street. I can just bandage it up there." He grunted as he stood up.

"Huntress, everything okay?"

Helena steadied him by putting her arm around his waist. Her touch drove him crazy.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a tiny mic and tucked it under the collar of her jacket as he pretended to lean on her.

Helena was unaware of his actions, and moved him over to a mailbox by the side of the street. "Lean here for a minute while I go check out the alley."

Helena jogged into the alley, searching it for any clues that might lead her to the assailant.

"Huntress?"

"Sorry, couldn't talk before. Some guy got stabbed when a guy tried to mug him. I'm gonna help him back to his apartment and then call it a night. I'll see you in about an hour. Huntress out."

"Gotcha. Oracle out."

Helena frowned at not being able to find anything, so she headed back out to the street.

When she got to the end of the alley, she noticed the man was gone. She looked up and down the street for any sign of him and found nothing. Her brow creased for a moment, unsure of why he just took off. Shaking her head, she headed to the Clocktower.

**FRIDAY - 1:05am**

Barbara looked up, surprised at the sight of Helena coming out of the elevator. "What are you doing back here so soon?"

"The guy took off on me. Just disappeared into thin air."

"I thought he got stabbed? How'd he get away so quickly?"

"Beats the hell out of me," Helena said as she went through the contents of the cabinets in search of something to eat. "Oh well, whatever. He was kinda creepy anyway."

"Creepy? Creepy how?"

"I dunno, there was something about him, made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck."

His hand curled into a fist and came crashing down onto the small table that sat underneath the collection of photos as he listened to what Helena was saying about him. His anger bubbled inside him, causing him to smash his fist down onto the table again.

He stood up and walked over to a small box that sat on a shelf in the corner of the room. He opened the lid and pulled out a shiny hunters knife, eyeing it as he turned it in his hands. With a deep breath, he turned to the wall of photos and threw the knife, watching as it imbedded itself into the wall and stayed there.

Walking over to the wall, he grinned as the tip of the blade had pierced through one of the photos. "You'll regret what you said soon enough," he grumbled as he yanked the blade out of the wall and tucked it into the waistband of his pants behind his back.

Helena chewed on a granola bar as she pass by Barbara on her way back to the elevator. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night," Barbara said as she turned off the lights and headed for bed.

**SATURDAY - 11:18pm**

Helena made her way to the edge of one of the rooftops when she looked down and saw a man limping along the side of the street. "There you are," she said under her breath as she jumped down to street level.

_"She found me,"_ he said to himself, hearing everything she was saying. _"That didn't take long at all."_

"Hey!" Helena yelled out to the man from behind him.

He stopped and turned towards her voice. The sight of her no longer had the same effect on him, now knowing how she really felt.

"Where'd ya go last night?"

"I, ah, I went home. See, good as new," he said pointing to his leg.

Helena nodded as she bit on her bottom lip.

"Listen, do you want to come by for a drink or something. Just as a thank you for helping me last night."

"I can't, but thanks for the offer."

"Wow, a guy offers you booze and you don't accept? What's wrong with this picture?" Barbara joked through the comm.

"Shut up," Helena whispered.

"Please, it's the least I can offer." 

Helena debated about it, but figured she'd have one drink and be done with it. "Okay, I can stay for one."

"Great," the man said, "Follow me."

**SATURDAY - 11:32pm**

They arrived at the man's apartment and Helena felt those little hairs standing on end again as she looked around the tiny den that had a small television, dirty couch, and a coffee table that looked like it had been hacked to pieces and glued back together.

Clearing off some old newspapers on the couch so she could sit, the man motioned for her to sit. "Please, sit down and make yourself at home while I get the drinks."

Helena slowly sat down as he went off to the kitchen. "This is disgusting," she mumbled into her comm.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad," Barbara responded.

"Um, yeah, it can."

"You exaggerate a lot, have I ever pointed that out? You're a little too high maintenance sometimes."

"Excuse you!" Helena snarled. "Good-bye!" She reached up and turned off her comm set, shaking her head at Barbara's last comment.

The man returned with two bottles of beer and handed one to Helena. "Here, I'm sorry it's not one of those fancy label brands, it's all I have."

Helena took the beer and took a sip, "It's fine, thank you."

"Come on, I have to show you something," he said as he motioned for her to follow him.

She got up and followed him to the basement door. He opened it and turned to her, "After you."

Helena looked down at the dimly-lit wooden staircase and began walking down the steps. What she didn't expect was a push from behind, causing her to tumble down every stair, landing hard on the cement floor at the bottom of the staircase.

"What the hell?" she said, dazed from the fall.

The man was on her in seconds, grabbing her jacket lapel and pulling her close to him. "So I'm creepy, huh?"

"Wh-what?"

"Don't give me that shit," he said as he buried his fist into her stomach.

"Oooff," Helena gasped as the air left her lungs.

He grabbed her jacket again and shoved her to the floor, quickly placing a set of handcuffs on her wrists as tightly as he could.

Helena struggled to get him off of her as she continued to cough.

He sat on her legs and put another set of handcuffs around her ankles. "No kicking," he warned, wagging his finger at her.

"Get off me now," she threatened.

He complied, but then grabbed her by the front of her shirt, hauling her up and slamming her down on her knees.

Helena winced as her knee caps smashed against the hard floor.

"Look," he said, pointing across the room.

She looked in the direction he was pointing, but couldn't tell what he wanted her to look at. "I don't see anything."

Reaching over to the wall, he flipped on a lightswitch and illuminated the wall that contained the collage of photos.

Helena felt the bile trying to rise in her throat as she looked at what had to be at least fifty photos of her taped to the wall. Some at The Dark Horse Bar, some from the street, and some she couldn't tell where they'd been taken.

He reached behind his back and pulled out the knife, bringing it to the side of her neck, digging the tip into her flesh. "I worshipped the ground you walked on, as you can see." He pushed harder on the knife which cut through Helena's skin. Soon, a line of blood began running down her neck.

"You ruined it with what you said. You ruined it!" he screamed as he pulled the knife away from her neck and was going to slash her with it, but she rolled away from him just in time.

Her actions angered him and he came at her, holding the knife high in the air, ready to strike.

She moved her feet along the ground, tripping him and making him fall flat on his face. The knife dropped from his grip and she kicked it away from his reach.

With another kick, she kicked him in the head as he lay before her. He grabbed his temple in pain as blood began to seep from the small wound she'd created from her boot heel.

She activated her comm as she got to her knees, keeping a watchful eye on his next move. "Oracle. I need some help. Loverboy has gone psycho on me."

"On it. I'll track you through your comm."

Helena punched him with her fists as best as she could, as the handcuffs restricted her movement.

After a few more blows, the man landed on his back, his head rolling to the side, his eyes shut, and his body completely still.

Helena kicked at his leg to see if he was unconscious and he didn't respond.

She got up and moved over to him, digging through his pockets and finding the key to the handcuffs. Quickly, she released herself, rubbing her sore and irritated wrists as she walked over to the wall. "Geezus," she said softly, shocked that he'd taken all of these photos without her even knowing.

"Beautiful, aren't you?" a voice said behind her.

She whipped around in time to see him lunge towards her, his fist digging into her side. It stayed there for a moment and she wasn't sure why, but then she felt the pain. 

She looked up at him and he smiled an evil smile before pushing her into the wall, laughing as she slid down and sat on her butt, the knife protruding from her stomach just below her ribcage.

The whole world felt like it was in slow motion as she looked down and saw the knife and all of the blood that began covering her shirt, pants, and formed a pool on the floor. 

She hesitated in touching the area around the knife, but she needed to stop the blood somehow. "Ahhh!" she screamed out as she wrapped her hands around the area as best as she could.

"Huntress!" Barbara shouted.

The man continued to smile at her as he wiped the blood from his face. 

"Uhhh," Helena gasped as the pain radiated and throbbed in her side.

"Huntress, what happened? Are you alright?"

"No," she whispered through the pain.

"Dinah, how far away are you?" Barbara asked.

"I just pulled up."

"Hurry," Barbara said with a hitch of emotion in her voice.

"My, my, my," the man said as he sat on the floor in front of her. "Not so beautiful now, huh? All bloody and dirty."

"Fuck you," Helena spat through a clenched jaw. Her hands were now covered in warm, sticky blood and she made every effort not to look down. She knew if she did she'd pass out for sure.

"Such horrible manners too," he said as he crossed his legs Indian style.

Dinah entered the apartment and listened for voices.

The man watched Helena grimace as bolts of pain made their way through her body. "You know, I was going sit here and watch you bleed to death, but since we've been through so much together I think I'm just going to end it for you so you won't have to suffer."

He got to his feet and went over to a small desk that sat in the corner of the room. Reaching under it, he pulled out a small gun.

Helena swallowed hard as she watched him turn around, the light hitting the barrel of the gun that was now aimed in her direction. "Gun," she mumbled.

"Dammit, Dinah! Where are you? He's got a gun!" Barbara wished she could jump through the comm in order to help.

"Good-bye, bitch."

Helena shut her eyes tightly as she heard the shot, but then she heard a loud thud and a whizzing noise. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw Dinah running towards her. Peeking around her, she saw the man lying on the ground with a Batarang sticking out of his back.

"Dinah, you..."

"Shhh. He was going to kill you."

"Huntress? Dinah? Someone talk to me!"

"Oracle, I've got Huntress. I'm on my way back right now. She's got a rather large knife sticking out of her side so fire up the grill because we're having Huntress Kabobs." Dinah did her best to throw some humor into the situation and take the focus off the fact that she'd just killed a man.

"Nice," Helena huffed as another flash of pain ripped through her.

"Come on, let's get you out of here."

**SUNDAY - 10:52am**

Dinah and Barbara crept into Helena's room, being careful not to wake her. Both women had checked on her throughout the night to make sure she wasn't running a fever.

Barbara put a hand to Helena's forehead, finding it warm, but not fever hot.

"You could at least warm your hand before you do that," Helena said softly as she opened her eyes.

"Sorry," Barbara said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been stabbed with a butcher knife." Helena shifted a little and winced at the movement.

"Uh uh, no moving around, you'll tear the stitches."

"Yes, mother."

"You scared the shit out of us last night," Dinah said as she gently sat on the side of the bed.

"That good, huh?" Helena put a hand over the wounded area and felt a pile of gauze.

"It took me over an hour to get the knife out. It nicked your spleen so you lost a lot of blood. You may be meta, but you need to stay put for at least a week in order to regenerate the blood lost." Barbara reached for Helena's wrist to check her pulse.

"Gee, a week free of getting punched and kicked, damn." Helena smiled a lopsided smile.

"I mean it, Helena. You need to rest." Barbara returned Helena's wrist to her side. "Speaking of, we better let you get more rest. Come on Dinah."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to Dinah for a minute."

"Okay," Barbara said, knowing exactly what was going to be discussed. She wheeled out of the room, leaving them alone.

"Thanks for saving my butt last night, kid."

"You're welcome."

"And if you need to talk about what happened I just want you to know that I'm...I'm here for ya."

"I'm fine," Dinah said, putting a hand up in front of her. "I'm fine with it."

"Listen, it was your first kill. The first is always the hardest."

"I had to do it or else he would have killed you. I know we don't set out to kill people, but it was something I had to do. Believe me, Barbara and I discussed it for about three hours last night. I'm fine, really."

"Okay."

Dinah stood up and nervously tucked strands of hair behind her ear. "Well, I better let you get some sleep. I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks."

"I'll come by later on."

"Okay," Helena said before shutting her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

Dinah left the room and burst into tears. The images of the Batarang embedding itself in the man's back had been flashing through her head since it happened. "The first is always the hardest," she heard Helena's voice say in her head. Helena was right.

THE END


End file.
